Logan man confesses to filming young girl and posting it on the internet

LOGAN — An 18-year-old Logan man has admitted to taking pornographic pictures of a young girl and posting them on the internet. Emanuel Zamora accepted a plea deal that could still send him to prison for up to 15 years.

Zamora appeared in 1st District Court Monday afternoon. He pleaded guilty to one count of sexual abuse of a child, a second-degree felony; and lewdness involving a child, a third-degree felony. Six remaining charges against him were dropped by prosecutors as part of the agreement.

Last September, Logan City police officers received a tip from Australian investigators that Zamora was taking photographs of an 11-year-old relative. The pictures were allegedly taken while the victim was asleep and showed her in various stages of undress. The photos had been uploaded to a Russian website, used for sharing child pornography. He also posted comments on the site about possibly sexually abusing the child.

Later, FBI agents served a search warrant to Zamora’s apartment. They found multiple images and videos of the juvenile on the suspect’s cellphone. The material appeared to be filmed unknowingly, while the victim was undressing.

During Monday’s court appearance, Judge Thomas Willmore ordered Zamora to undergo a pre-sentence evaluation, conducted by probation officers, about the defendant’s criminal history. He also scheduled sentencing for September 30.